Electricity market integration of utility-scale battery energy storage units in Ireland, the status and future regulatory frameworks

Ireland is an interesting case for the integration of battery energy storage in the electricity market because of its ambitious renewable energy targets, the limited potential of strong interconnections to the neighboring power systems (with non-correlated wind resources), and a very limited potential to deploy large-scale mechanical energy storage such as pumped storage hydropower plants. We find that battery energy storage can become one of the cornerstones of the energy storage portfolio in Ireland and also one of the few options which can enable the Irish electricity sector to access the required domestic flexibility resources. Considering the policy perspective at the European level, and a comprehensive assessment of the regulatory and electricity market instructions at the national level in Ireland, we recommend policies for enabling the full potential of battery energy storage units (BSUs). The proposed policies represent promising solutions to the current challenges that BSUs encounter in Ireland and increase the alignment of national-level policy and market instructions with the European level directives and regulations.

Automated summary

Ireland's ambitious renewable energy targets, limited interconnections with neighboring power systems, and lack of potential for large-scale mechanical energy storage make battery energy storage a crucial option for accessing necessary domestic flexibility resources in the Irish electricity sector. By implementing policies that align national-level regulations and market instructions with European level directives, the full potential of battery energy storage units can be realized.